english



April 20, 1954 H. G. ENGLISH BRAKE AND BRAKE ACTUATING MECHANISM Filed March 11, 1950 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 '5 [Even 5 07"" [7E cizls Georyefl'rgglzlS/a Patented Apr. 20, 1954 UNI-TED BRAKE AND, BRAKEAQIIJAI NG MECHANISM Herdjs G., Englishs. Lav Grange, Ill., assignor. to. Borg-Warner Corporation, Ghica a lllafi 001?- lmration o.f-,Illinois..-

Application March 11-, 1950, Serial N or 149,049-

brake mechanisms is the avoidance of" unbalaanced shaft loads when the brake mechanism; is.

engaged. Thisproblem is particularly acute with transmissions of the type employing planetary gear sets where the brake mechanism may be employed for holding one of the elements of: theplanetary gear setto cause-it, to serve as a reaction member. Where such transmissions are employed for automobiles, they. must be made very-compact'and, consequently, bearing sizes are restricted; Thus, any unbalanced bearing load will tend to. cause rapid deterioration of. thebeare. ings; While this problem is particularly acute in the automatic transmissions, itisalso; present in. varying degrees with any. shaft to be held by; a drum typebrake. A further problem. is-thatoi providing a controlled engagement of the. brakeitself; This, again, is particularly important in. automatic type transmissions where. a sudden engagement. of the brakes may produce a: lurch and; consequently; undesirably rough operation of: the; transmission. Controlling brake;- engagement; be comes increasingly difficult as the brake: bands wear, since while withv ordinary: braking-mocha nisms it is feasible toprovide aninitial' controlled rate of engagement, asthe brake. bands wearand becomelooser, the controlled area of; engagement is, in effect, displaced with. reference. to. thfl QIl-rgaging points.

An object of the present invention is toprovide a new. and improved. braking mechanism and more particularly one inwhich unbalanced: bearing loads. are held to a minimum.

A further object of the. present, invention isto; provide a brake mechanism in which provision is made for providing a cushioned and. controlled engagement of the brakes despite. Wear.

A more particular object'of the present invention is to provide a brake actuating; mechanism wherein provision is made for taking. slack prior to effecting braking engagement of. theband. with the drum.

In accordance with one embodiment of" thisin:

vention a suitable braking mechanism may com-..

prise a pair of oppositely disposed brake band's arranged to engage opposite sides of a brake drum and individually actuated by hydraulic servo motors. The servo motors are suppliedjwith energizing pressure from the same source and apply. equal engaging. pressures so that the bands engage with equal pressure and at the same time.

2: In addition, theservo motors areeachdesigned toprovide-a two-phasev operation so that in the.

first phase the slack is taken up and the. brake. band moved'to engaging position, and in the. second phase thebrake is actually engaged under the control-led hydraulic pressure.

Other objects and advantagesof the present. invention will be apparent from the following detaileddescription thereof takenin. conjunction with the drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is a schematic viewofa transmission suitable f or use inanautomotive vehiclev andillus.

trating the used brake mechanisms. in conjuncti'on therewith;

Fig. 2- is a transverse, sectional: view of a conventional brake mechanism, theview being taken substantially along=theline 241-..2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a transverse, sectional view of a. dual brake mechanismin accordance with the present invention, theview being taken substantially alongthe linear-3 of Fig. 1';

Fig. 4 is a detail, sectional view showing par. ticularlythe- -servomotor mechanism, the mecha: nism being shown in the position in which the brakes are engaged; and

Fig. 5 is a transverse, sectional view showing tho right servomotor' of Fig. 3 arrangedto provide the sole actuating. force.

Referring first to Fig. 1, wherein an automatic. type transmission is illustrated in which the novel;

brake mechanism of" this invention may be employed, it willbe. seen: that. this transmission. includes aninput. or driving shaft l0, located at the left side of" the transmission, and an output.

ord-rivenshaft H located at. the right side of, the transmission. The input shaft H! is connected.

through a torqueconverterl2, of generally conventional design, we clutch: l3: shiftableto; either of two positions; and: through. the two-position clutch I3 to a compound. planetary gear set; M,

the ring gear [5' ofw-hi'ch is splined to the outl iut.

by rotation ofthe statorfreely in the forward direction, that is, the direction in which the shaft I0 is normally turned, is permitted, but the stator'is prevented from rotating in the reverse- 3 direction, thus permitting it to serve as the reaction member of the torque converter.

The two-position clutch |3 comprises an internally toothed, axially shiftable sleeve 24 driven with the shaft 26 by the spur gear 2|. The sleeve 24 is shiftable to the left to engage with clutch teeth 25 formed on a sleeve shaft 26 and is shiftable to the right to engage with clutch teeth 21 formed on a second sleeve shaft 28. As will be hereinafter described in greater detail, the sleeve 24 when moved to the left to engage with the teeth 25 functions to condition the planetary gear set l4 for forward drive, and when moved in the opposite direction engage with the teeth 21, functions to condition the planetary gear set for re verse drive. In the position illustrated, the transmission is in neutral, the clutch sleeve 24 being engaged with neither the teeth 25 nor the teeth 21. A synchronizer ring 30 having tapered surfaces 3| and 32 is disposed within the sleeve 24, and these synchronizing surfaces are adapted to cooperate with tapered surfaces 33 and 34 on the shafts 26 and 28, respectively, to effect. synchronization thereof with shaft 20, the synchronizer ring being moved to the left or the right to synchronize either the shaft 26 or the shaft 25 with the shiftable sleeve 24 so that the sleeve 24 may be brought into engagement either with the teeth 25 or the teeth 21 without clash. The action of the synchronizer is substantially conventional and any suitable synchronizing means may be employed to prevent gear clashing.

Referring now to the planetary gear set M, it will be seen that in addition to the ring gear I5, the planetary gear set includes a rear sun gear 35 splined to the forward shaft 26, a first set of planet gears 35 in mesh with the ring gear and a second set of planet gears 31 in mesh with the planet gears 36 and with the sun gear 35. The planet gears 35 are made substantially longer than the planet gears 31, and the planet gears 36 mesh adjacent their left ends with a front sun gear 48 splined to the shaft 28. The planet gears 36 and 31 are carried by a planet carrier 4|, rotatably suported with respect to the shafts I0, 26 and 28. V

A friction clutch 42 is provided for connecting the planet carrier 4|. and the shaft 28 to rotate in unison, thereby causing the front sun gear 40 to rotate with the carrier 4|. A brake 43 is also provided for holding the carrier 4| stationary to serve as a reaction member for the planetary gear set. A second brake 44 is provided for holding the shaft 28 stationary to cause the front sun gear 46 to serve as a reaction? member for the planetary gear set.

These brakes and the clutch may be actuated through any suitable control mechanism as, for example, that shown in the earlier filed application of Youngren, et al., Serial No. 25,064, filed May 4, 1948, wherein a transmission of the type here under consideration is described in greater detail together with a suitablehydraulic control mechanism.

Low speed forward drive through the transmission is completed by first shifting the shiftable clutch sleeve 24 to the left to establish forward drive and then engaging the low range brake 43 to hold the carrier 4| stationary. The low speed forward drive is then through the shaft 25, the rear sun gear 35, the planet gears 31 and 36 and the ring gear l connected to the output shaft H. In low forward speed drive, as

in all the other drive ratios provided by the transmission, the torque converter I2 is a part of the power train and all the power transmitted from the drive shaft III to the output shaft ll passes through the torque converter.

The transmission may be shifted from low speed forward drive to second or intermediate speed forward drive by engaging the brake 44 and releasing the brake 43. Brake 44 holds shaft 28 stationary, thus causing thev front sun gear 44 to serve as a reaction member for the planetary gear set. In this intermediate speed ratio, the drive is through the shaft 26, the rear sun gear 35, the planet gears 31, the planet gears 35 and the ring gear l5, the planet gears 36 causing the planet carrier to rotate about the stationary sun gear 40.

High speed forward or direct drive is obtained by disengaging the brake 44 and engaging the friction clutch 42 to lock together the planet carrier 4| and the sun gear 40 so that the parts of the planetary gear set will all rotate as a unit. The driven shaft N then rotates at a one-to-one drive with respect to the shaft 26.

The transmission is conditioned for reverse drive by moving the clutch sleeve 24 to the right into engagement with the gear teeth 21, thereby coupling the shaft 28 with the shaft 25 driven by the turbine H. The brake 43 is again engaged to hold the planetary carrier 4| stationary, and the drive is then through the front sun gear 45, the long planet pinions 35 and the ring gear |5.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the brake 44 which is employed only for intermediate ratio forward drive is subjected to a lesser torque load than is the brake 43 which is employed both for low speed forward drive and for reverse drive.

t has been found desirable in some cases, therefore, to employ different types of brakes for the intermediat brake and for the low speed and reverse brake. Thus, for the intermediate brake a relatively simple mechanism, such as that shown in Fig. 2, may be employed, whereas in order to withstand the greater torque loads imposed in low speed forward drive and in reverse drive, a different and more complex type of brake assembly may be employed for the brake 43, such as that illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings.

Referring first to Fig. 2, wherein a suitable brake mechanism for the brake 44 is illustrated, it

will be seen that this mechanism comprises a friction brake band 46 encircling a drum 41 fixed to shaft 28. The band 46 is anchored at its left side by means of an adjustable. anchor rod 54, the left portion of which is threaded into the Wall 5| of the transmission housing. The right end of anchor rod 50 bears against an anchor lug 52 fixed to or integrally formed with the brake band 46. By threading the anchor rod into the transmission housing, the band 46 may be made to fit more closely around the drum 41, or vice versa, by threading the anchor rod 50 out of the transmission housing, the band may be loosened. A look nut 53 is provided for holding the anchor in adjusted position.

Engagement of the brake band 46 is controlled through a hydraulic servo mechanism designated generally at 54, this mechanism comprising essentially a piston 55 slidably journalled in a cylinder block 56 and having affixed to the right side thereof and extending axially to the right therefrom, a piston rod 51. Piston rod 51 extends through the right wall of the cylinder block 56, and its right end bears against the lower left side of a lever arm 60 pivotably supported at its upper end portion on a post or pivot shaft 6|,

memes sslmm- 9 ..ihs, arm The assesses" portion 62': of the lever arm 60 extendin abovethe post 6 is indented on its left side to re.-

ceivethe: right end of a strut 63, the left endi'of'" which is pivotably secured toa lug 64 mounted on the opposite end of the brake band from the anchor lug 52. Upon the lever arm Efl'ibeing piv oted" in acounterclockwise direction by shifting Movement of the piston 55 to control: the post tioningr of the lever arm is effected by admitting fluid pressure through either the right or. release port '65, to disengage the brake, or through the left or engage port. 66, tocause engagementof' thebrake. Admitting fluid pressure through the left-port. 66 applies pressure tothe left side of the piston 55, thereby moving the piston. 55. to. they right against the pressure of a return springt'l' disposed'within the right portion of the cylinder 56, was to exert spring pressure againsttheright:

side. of the piston 55. It. will be noted thata guide shaft iii is provided on the left side of piston 55: and is journalled in a suitablyformed' left portion of the housing 55., this guide. shaft H3 servingto' maintain axial alignment of the piston with. respect to the cylinder in whichthe piston is. journalled.

When it is desired to release the brake, the port 6:6. is connected to the sump or other low pres sure zone so as to vent. the leftside of the piston chamber and pressure may then. be admitted through. the disengaging or release port to move the piston 55 positively to the left: to release the brake band.

This type of brake is capable of withstanding substantial. amounts of torque, but due to. the method of application of. the brake band, under very hightorque loads, the bearing loads; may be unbalanced, resulting in undue wear. and, furthermore, under very high torqueloads the brake. may not be completely effective. high torque loads are present, as inlow or reverse drives, the novel brake mechanismdisclosedi in Fig. 3. and forming the primary subject matter of. this inventionmay be employed.

Referring, now to Fig. 3 wherein a brake suit-,- able for holding the planetary gear set in low or reverse ratio is illustrated and corresponding to the brake 43, in Fig. 1,. it will be seen that this brake mechanism comprises not one but. two oppositely disposed brakebandsll. and 72. These brake bands arev both engageablewith a drum designated generally as 1:3, and which is, inFig. 1, secured to the planetary carrier H. Since the holding forces exerted by the brake bands I I and 12. are applied. to opposite sides of the drum 13, it will be evident that it is essential that these brake bands be appliedsimultaneously and with equal force. The dual. servo mechanism, designated generally at. T4, accomplishes-thisand, in

addition, provides for a two-phase application of the brake bands, the band being moved toengaging position in the first or slack take-up phase and then actually engaged in the second phase.

The servo mechanism M is located-in a cham bered housing it which is preferably-of cy1in-- drical configuration and is made sufficiently heavy to withstand: the hydraulic pressure to which it must be subjected inuse, the" housing.

15 being, in turn, mounted:'- within thetransmisa Thus, where:

6 sion housing 51. aresubstantially identical; nly one w-i-ll 'be' de cribed in detail; the description of theone being' equally applicableto the other;

Theright servo: mechanism for actuating the" lower brake band" 12 comprises a heavy, annular piston plate 16 slidably journalled in" the right: portion'of housing 15 and when at rest position bearing against the right side of an annular ridge H formed-i on the inner side of" the mid"-- portion of. housing 15; The piston 16 is urgedto.

this rest position by a pair of helically coiled springs the left ends of which bear against the right side of piston plate i6, and the right end'swf" which-bear against a retainer member or ring 89 fitted within a slightly recessed portion 82' at: the right end of housing 15 and held in the-recessed'portion: 82 by a split ring 83. It will' be noted that an aperture or port Eti formed through the-upper portion of the retainer ring'BI asviewed in: this. figure, this port being provided.

to prevent hydraulic lock of the piston 16 that is, to permit escape of air or fluid trapped between the piston plate and the retainer. plate when the piston is moved to the right, and also.

to permit airor fluid toenter the piston chamber when-thepistonis moved to the left.

A sleeve or short tube 85 is disposed coaxially within the housing 15, and is mounted at its'l'eft"- The right end of sleeve 85' is jou-rnalled through theend on the right side of p'mton plate 16'.

central aperture 86' in the retainer ring 8|, the central portion of retainer ring 8| being provided: with a flange 8! which extends axially to the. left to form abearing surface for. supportingthe. right portion of. the short tube 85.; Tube 85:

forms a second piston chamber in which is slidablydisposed asecondary piston assembly 9.0,

employed to provide an: initial slacktake-up of the brake band 12'.

The piston assembly .90 comprises a piston shaft Qt, which extends to the right from aflat, base portion 92" of' the pistonand the right end portion of the shaft 91 is journalled through a bushing 93; The bushing. 93 is: mounted in. an

annular retainer. plate 94- which, in addition to serving as. a mounting member for the bushing 93; also serves toretain a spring 95. within the pistoncham-ber defined by the tube 85, the spring wall of the sleeve 85 and is. provided with a seal ringto. prevent escape of fluid. thereby.

When fluid" pressurei supplied to the servo motors, theipressure, entering through a. port IOIJ formed: in the motor housing 15, passes through.

the central aperture 32' provided in. the annular."

piston.16; and is exerted. against the left side of piston 90, urging the piston shaft. 9i to theright against. spring 95. This provides the initiaLslacktake-up and the spring 95 is. made relae tively'weak as compared to. springs 88 to permit movement-of the piston prior to movement of. the primary piston 16.. pressure applied to pistons l6 and 96. will cause piston 90" to move in advance of piston 16.. As the-pressure builds up against the piston 36 and consequently against the piston it, the piston 16: also will tend to move to the right. In order tocausethepiston. 9.0 to move inunison with the- As the two servo mechanisms:

That. is to say, a given.-

piston I6, there is provided a poppet valve as sembly whereby pressure acting against thepis-= ton 90, is trapped and prevented from escapingafter initial movement of piston I6. More specifically, the poppet valve assembly comprise a P ppet ball member I03 which is adapted, upon suflicient movement to the right of piston I6, to seat on a poppet seat I04 provided by bevelling the right entrance to the aperture I02 formed. through the piston 16. The poppet ball I03 is supported within the left conical portion of the piston 90 by a retainer cage I05 of frusto-conical configuration and having a flanged base portion I06 secured to the right side of the-annular primary piston I3 by a plurality of rivets or bolts I01. As more clearly shown in Fig. 4, the sides and right end of the cage I05 are apertured at I08 to permit ready passage of fluid pressure therethrough, the cage serving only as a support for a loading spring I09, carried within the right portion of the cage. Loading spring I09 urges the poppet ball I03 toward the seat I04.

In the rest position of the servo mechanism,

the poppet ball I03 is prevented from seating by a spacer pin I I which is carried by a bushing III in turn supported on the annular primary piston I6-a of the left servo mechanism, the pin being freely axially movable in the bushing II 1. Whether the spacer pin I It be supported on the right or left primary piston is a matter of choice and the spacer pin only functions to prevent premature seating of the poppet balls associated with the two assemblies. Spider plate H2 supports the bushing III on the primary piston ES-a, the spider II2 being fixed to the right side of the piston It-a at its periphery by a plurality of belts or rivets II3.

Upon the pressure increasing, that is, building up within the mid portion of the servo motor housing sufficiently, the primary pistons I6 and HS-a will be moved in opposite directions. This initial movement of the primary pistons permits the poppet balls I03 and I03-a to seat, thereby sealing or trapping pressure against the pistons 90 and 90-a. By trapping the pressure against the pistons 90 and 90-a, these pistons are prevented from moving relatively to their associated primary pistons I6 and 16-11, respectively. Thus,

continued application of pressure to the primary pistons-will cause the primary and secondary pistons of each servo motor to move as aunit away from the center of the housing 15.

In the detail view provided in Fig. 4, the relative positions of the parts after the poppetballs I03 and I03-a have seated are 'allustrated. It will be seen that the spacing between the two popet balls is substantially greater than the length of the spacer pin H0. The length of the spacer pin H0 is selected so that the spacing between the poppet balls I63 and I03-a will exceed the length of the spacer pin during the initial fractional movement of the primary pistons so that thereafter the primary and secondary pistons will move in unison.

Brake engaging force is applied to the brake band I2 from the piston shaft 9| through a lever arm II5, the lower end of which is engaged by the right end of piston shaft 9i. Lever arm H is pivotally supported adjacent its upper end on a stub shaft or post H6 and has affixed thereto a short crank arm I I7 which, when the lever arm' I I5 is moved in a counterclockwise direction, also moves in a counterclockwise direction to urge upwardly a strut I20 secured at its'upper end to the right end of brake band I2 by a lug I2I. The

lowerlend'of strut I20 is provided with a rounded tip portion I22 which is received in a notch or recess I23 in the upper end of a threaded member I24 carried by the short arm 1. By suitably threading the member I24 in the arm N1, the engagement of the brake, band may be closely adjusted. A look nut I25 is provided for holding, the adjustment.

' The left end of brake band I2 is provided with an anchor lug I26, which may be suitably secured thereto or integrally formed therewith, the anchor lug I26 being supported on a projection I2I integrally formed with the transmission housing. Thus, movement of the strut I20 upwardly with the left end of the brake band I2 held stationary will cause the brake. band to wrap around the lower portion of the drum I3.

Engagement of the upper brake band II is effected in a generally similar manner by movement of the piston shaft 9I-a to the left, the left endof shaft 9I-a bearing against the lower end of a lever arm I30, the upper portion of which is pivotably supported on a stub shaft I3! carried by .the transmission housing. Clockwise movement of the lever arm I30 causes a short crank arm I32, projecting to the right,-to engage at its under side the upper end of a screw I33 similar to the shaft I24. The screw I33 is threaded in the lower end of a strut member I34, the upper end of which is secured to the left end of upper brake band II by a lug I35. The right end of brake band II is provided with an anchor lug I35 which bears against a projecting member' I3? secured to the right inner side of the housing wall of the transmission. Thus, clock-- wise movement of the lever arm pulling the strut I34 downward will cause the upper brake band I I to be wrapped more tightly around the drum I3.

Since the pressures applied to the two servo motors are the same, are applied simultaneously and the servomotors are made substantially identical, it will be evident that pressure of engagement is equal and simultaneous for both bands. Thus, the shaft load is balanced, that is to say that the shaft on which the drum I3 is supported, which forms a part of the transmission, is subjected to equal brake engaging pressures on either side. This arrangement results in considerably increased life for the bearings and bushings associated with the shaft and transmission. At the same time, it has been found that the brake mechanism in accordance with Figs. 3 and 4 enables the application of much higher braking forces without undue increase in the size of the mechanism.

Disengagement of the brake bands may be effected in either of two ways. Thus, by releasing the pressure applied through the port IOI, through a suitable control valve (not shown), the return springs and associated with the right servo motor and the return springs 80-41. and 95-a associated with the left servo motor will be eifective to move the piston assemblies toward the center of the servo motor housing, thus withdrawing the piston shafts ill and ill-w. Where a more rapid disengagement is desired, it is also feasible to supply pressure to the outer sides of the primary pistons I6 and I6-a. through ports I38 and I38-a. Application of pressure through these ports and simultaneous release of pressure through the port IOI will cause rapid return of the primary pistons to the rest position. As the primary pistons approach the rest position, thespacing between the poppet balls I03 and I03-a will decrease until the spacer pin IIO becomes.

eifective to unseat these poppet balls, thus permitting the secondary pistons 90 and Sill-a to move inwardly relatively to the primary pistons 15 and IS-a, and completely releasing the brakes.

While this invention has been described as a dual servo motor system, a single servo motor system may be provided employing the principles of this invention. Thus, referring to Fig. 5, it will be seen that in order to adapt the right servo mechanism to provide the sole actuating force as, for example, to be used in place of the single servo mechanism 54 illustrated in Fig. 2, the only change necessary is that of mounting a spacer pin I49 corresponding in function to pin N9 of Figs. 3 and 4, on the servo motor housing end wall, the housing being made considerably shorter due to the elimination of the left servo motor. The pin would preferably be made adjustable, as by threading the pin into the end wall, as shown in Fig. 5, to provide for adjustment thereof with respect to the poppet ball. A look nut 14!, carried by the portion of l 49 outside the housing Wall is employed to hold the pin in adjusted position. Where no adjustment is required, the pin may be made integral with the end wall. In all other respects, the operation and arrangement of parts is identical to that illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4.

Further, while this invention has been described primarily in conjunction with a brake for use with a planetary gear type transmission, it will be evident that the features of this brake make it readily adaptable to many other uses and particularly those wherein it is desirable to avoid unbalanced shaft loads and/or to provide a slack take-up mechanism to facilitate control of the application of the brakes, that is, control of the engagement of the brake bands with the drum.

Where herein the various parts of this invention have been referred to as being located in a right or a left position, it will be understood that this is done solely for the purpose of facilitating description and that such references relate only to the relative positions of the parts as shown in the accompanying drawings.

What is claimed is:

In a servo motor, a first pair of pistons, a pair of take-up pistons respectively disposed coaxially of and within a sleeve carried by each of said first pistons and capable of relative axial movement with respect to the first pistons, resilient means for restraining movements of the first pistons away from each other, resilient means confined within the sleeves for restraining movements of the take-up pistons away from each other, said second named resilient means providing substantially lesser restraining forces than said first named resilient means, means for applying fluid pressure simultaneously to the first pair of pistons and the take-up pistons, the fluid pressure reaching the take-up pistons through apertures formed in the center of each of said first pair of pistons, a valve seat on the side of each of the first pair of pistons which faces the take-up piston disposed within the sleeves carried by the respective first pair of pistons and positioned around the periphery of the apertures, ball poppet valves for closing said apertures, a cage carried by each of said first pair of pistons, resilient means mounted within each of said cages for respectively biasing said ball poppet valves against the seats, and a spacer pin carried by one of the first pair of pistons for holding the ball poppet valves off of said seats, said spacer p-in being so located with respect to said first pistons that after an initial movement of the first pistons in one direction the spacer pin becomes ineifective to prevent seating of the valves so that the valves are thereafter efiective to trap fluid between the respective first pair of take-up pistons and prevent relative movement therebetween.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,840,807 Brown et a1 Jan. 12, 1932 1,865,105 Houplain June 28, 1932 1,932,685 Black Oct. 31, 1933 2,098,125 Yoxall Nov. 2, 1937 2,170,851 Carroll Aug. 29, 1939 2,227,245 Carroll Dec. 31, 1940 2,282,556 Bowen May 12, 1942 2,453,785 Cousino Nov. 16, 1948 2,513,015 Fike June 2'7, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 521,980 Great Britain June 5, 1940 

